Hello Autodesk University 2015

Originally written weekend of November 6, 2016: See update at bottom of post for additional information.

I wanted to just write a post about the end of the year and Autodesk University 2015 and what it means to me to be a speaker.

Over the past weekend I was getting out my Christmas lights and checking to see if they actually work (we have all been there). I took a moment and thought of my October-November schedule for the past 5 years. Here is a snapshot of one weekend prior to attending Autodesk University 2015 and my night and weekend job as an AU Speaker.

I sit by a window in my living room with one light on and my laptop. I am at peace during this time and it helps me mentally relax and review my presentation and prepare for my day.

This is how the schedule went from a Friday to a Sunday prior to Autodesk University 2015.

Friday: 5 pm
Arrive home after working as a CAD Manager at Haley and Aldrich. Peer reviews, goal settings and meetings, mentally a bit tired but as a Manager you need to take time and be fair and help those that you are guiding along in their career.

5 – 7 pm
Have a nice dinner with my wife and catch up on the day.

7 – 9:30 pm
Go to the basement (my video spot) and practice and record my speech for AU. Record the presentation using Techsmith Camtasia to time it and test out green screen. When I present at work I always record my presentation priot to check the flow and see if there are any errors or items that I may need to add or remove.

Hey look mom, it’s me?

9:30 – 11 pm
Shut down computer come upstairs and catch up on some TV.

11 pm??Wait, I have an idea……make a video with music to promote my class. Still thinking why this happened but it was fun. Ah, and yes I went the heavy metal route.

Midnight
Quit for the night and back to relaxing before turning in.

Saturday

430 – 6 am
I woke up very early. Review my paper for AU2015. I decided to add another section to the table of contents. This is a section highlighting screencast videos I created while working on the content for the class.

6 – 7 am
Take a break, put away some Halloween stuff and relax.

7 – 8 am
Create my 9th screencast for AU2015 explaining my handout and how it can be used interactively linking the document with additional content. This one turned out well on the first take.

8 – 9 am
Check social media, YouTube, Twitter, G+, CADProTips

9 am
Post my promotional video to twitter and G+. My family saw it and laughed and my son in law told me it was a game changer!

930 – 12 pm
Break, family time.

12 – 2:30 pm
Practice for my class again, review the template section and the datasets that I will upload to Autodesk next week.

2 – 6 pm
Yard work, clean up and prepare for another Michigan winter, we have a lot of leaves to rake and cleanup prior to the arrival of snow.

6 – 7 pm
Draft up a final script for a screencast. I am going to create a video on a question and answer session for AU2015 and Sheet Sets.

7 – 8 pm
Check social media feeds, shut down PC for the night.

8 pm
Backup all files to portable drive…….just in case.

Sunday6 – 8 am
Review my paper, script, AU materials.
The remainder of Sunday is to be spent with my family. I always need a Sunday to relax and clear my mind from work and take time out for myself and my family which both are very important to me. That’s a little insight into my life for the next few weeks prior to AU.

You still want to be a speaker at Autodesk University?

You have to be willing to put in the work and be ready for the questions, challenge and excitement this conference brings. That being said, I am so proud to represent my company and honored to be selected by Autodesk to be a speaker. Being a speaker at Autodesk University is one of the most rewarding experiences I have had in my life. I can’t really explain in words how fulfilling it is to have someone come up to you, after a class, and thank you for sharing your AutoCAD knowledge and expertise. I have always believed that we learn the most from each other and to share what I know with others brings a smile to my face.

You can click on the image below to sign up to be notified when proposals are due for AU2016.

Sign up here to be notified about speaking at Autodesk University 2016

I am very proud of this paper and the effort that went forth to create the presentation. I was very determined not to let anything stop me from my goal to present at Autodesk University

Update: I held back on this post which was originally written on the weekend of November 6, 2015. I had an accident at home which left my arms in bandages and unable to type and/or work on my computer. That was unexpected but I was prepared and ready to submit my paper. I am thankful Autodesk gave me a couple extra days to check things over prior to posting live to the website.